Mark Smeaton

Mark Smeaton (1512-17 May 1536) was a musician at the court of King Henry VIII of England, in the household of Anne Boleyn. He was among those executed for treason and adultery with Queen Anne.

Biography
Mark Smeaton was born in England in 1512 to a family of Flemish origin. He was known for his talents as a singer, as a musician, and as a dancer, and he was originally a member of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey's choir before being transferred to the Chapel Royal. Queen Catherine of Aragon established him as a court musician, and he was named a Groom of the Privy Chamber in 1532. Because of his low social standing, he was never a member of the Queen's inner circle, and Queen Anne Boleyn once reprimanded him for assuming that she would speak to him in the same manner as an aristocrat. However, he later had an affair with Queen Anne, and Smeaton, George Boleyn, Henry Norris, Francis Weston, and William Brereton were executed in 1536 for treason and adultery with the Queen.